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About

Fang Zhong is a pioneering astrobiologist and instrument scientist whose work is shaping the future of extraterrestrial life detection. Her research centers on developing advanced in situ instrumentation for planetary exploration, with a particular focus on the chemical analysis of ocean worlds and Martian environments. Zhong’s most impactful contribution is her role on the PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry) team, a key instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover. The foundational paper on PIXL has garnered 135 citations, underscoring its critical importance in Mars exploration for mapping elemental chemistry at a microscopic scale. Beyond Mars, Zhong is a leading voice in the search for life on icy moons like Europa and Enceladus. Her innovative 2021 paper introduces a novel, solvent-free method for extracting and separating chiral amino acids—a breakthrough that enables the detection of biosignatures at parts-per-billion concentrations. This work is vital for distinguishing biological from abiotic organic compounds, as it can identify enantiomeric excess, a hallmark of life. By bridging the gap between laboratory precision and robotic field deployment, Fang Zhong is not only advancing planetary science but also laying the technical groundwork for humanity’s most profound question: are we alone in the universe?